The Seven Deathly Sins
by Knowledge is a powerful tool
Summary: A new organization has been found, and it's compromised of seven members as well as others behind the scenes. Jiraiya just wonders when Naruto managed to make it. Kind of crack-fic, with added confusion. ;P No pairings yet! Discontinued, sorry.
1. Chapter 1

**Hehe, yet another new story. And this one I really like! ...So much that I've even written two chapters already. Hope you like it, though it may be confusing at first...?**

**DISCLAIMER FOR THE WHOLE STORY: I don't own Naruto, duh. **

XXX

Jiraiya had an unsatisfied look upon his face as he stealthily left his contact in Tanzaku town. He had been following rumors for weeks now, trying to find out more about a newly developed group.

The only thing he knew was its name. The Seven Deathly Sins. Nothing else was known, but the fact that it was a mercenary group. Also, they apparently wore cloaks in their 'sin's color. Which meant that they couldn't be more than seven.

"Jiraiya-sama." A silent voice spoke, and he turned around with narrowed eyes to see a person with a light blue cloak. "What do you want?" He demanded calmly, his normally boisterous demeanor completely gone. The person in the cloak sighed heavily.

"You've been looking for us, have you not? Follow me." Jiraiya frowned as he realized that the voice sounded young, even though the person seemed as tall as him.

The blue-cloaked person turned and walked away, and Jiraiya followed hastily, yet silently. They walked through silent alleys, where there were no people.

The blue-cloaked person came to a stop in front of a wall, knocked on it twice and did a hidden hand sign. "It's Sloth. Jiraiya's with me." The cloaked person, now known as Sloth, said. A crack opened in the wall, and Jiraiya was surprised to see a door open.

"Come in. Pride's waiting." A green-cloaked person said, and Jiraiya felt as if the person was looking right through him. Sloth walked in, and the older man followed, subtly looking around in the hidden base.

"Don't bother to memorize which way we are going. Pride put seals everywhere, so even if you went this way, you'd end up somewhere else." Sloth drawled. Jiraiya understood why the person had ended up as that sin.

They arrived at a door, and Sloth knocked on it carefully. "Enter." A calm voice said, and they went in. Sloth bowed lazily to the person in a violet cloak. "You're dismissed." The violet-cloaked person commanded. Sloth nodded and left.

Jiraiya's eyes shifted around the room, still watching the violet-cloaked person. Though he was mostly unaware of the colors of the so-called sins, he knew of two. Violet for Pride, and Red for Wrath. Both were in the room.

"Jiraiya-sama. Why is it you seek to know of us?" Pride's smooth voice questioned calmly. Though he could see nothing of his face, Jiraiya noticed a blue glow about where he supposed the violet-clad person's right eye was.

"I must admit that I got curious when I heard of you in a rumor. There are many mercenary bands, and I know all of their intentions, even the elusive Akatsuki… but I don't know yours. And also, I wonder why you are all cloaked with an illusion?" The white-haired man explained.

"A rumor, is it? Hm. And the illusions? I am un-surprised you discovered them, but I am quite certain you already know the reason. An simple illusion doesn't change our voice, after all." Pride seemed amused, and Jiraiya noted that the violet-clad sin avoided his question about intentions.

"Yes, your voices are all quite…young. But I must press the question that I do wish to know your intentions." Jiraiya said calmly. Wrath, who stood by Pride, seemed to tilt his or her head slightly, and Pride nodded. "I am afraid that I will not indulge your curiosity about that. But we are most certainly not a threat against Konoha…for now."

"…I see. May I ask just who you are? Your voice seems faintly known to me." Jiraiya asked this simply out of curiosity. Wrath tensed, but Pride placed his hand on his or her red-clad shoulder. "Calm, Wrath. And I would not be surprised if you knew me. Everyone in Konoha does, after all." He replied, amused.

Jiraiya frowned. Pride was known by all of Konoha? It was a large village, and he knew few that were known to everyone. And none of them were young…except one.

"…You don't mean…?" He sounded bewildered, and Pride chuckled. "Indeed. I would have thought you to keep a better eye on me, godfather." He said as he pulled his hood down, disrupting the illusion at the same time.

Jiraiya gazed upon the effeminate face of Uzumaki Naruto. He had pale skin, three whisker marks on each cheek, golden-ish blonde hair that seemed somewhat faded, and cerulean blue eyes. His right eye seemed wrong, somehow, and he frowned.

"You do not look like the prankster boy everyone in Konoha knows." He stated carefully. Wrath seemed uncomfortable, but Naruto calmed him down with a slight touch.

"A façade. The roguish-cute boy that wishes to prove himself to everybody… does not exist. Now, I'm sure you know the value of secrets. Do not tell anyone of my identity…or all Seven of the sins will be after you. And though young, I assure you we are all quite strong."

Jiraiya frowned, and many emotions ran through his eyes. "…I… won't. Unless I have to. But I do wish to know one thing…what is wrong with your eye?" He wondered. Naruto palmed his right eye, and with a strange sound, Jiraiya was looking at an artificial eye that seemed somewhat mechanic.

"How did you lose your eye? And who made this?" He wondered. Naruto smiled, his lips stretching to uncover sharp teeth. "The villagers. And I'd say Lust and Gluttony are quite the mechanics." He said, and with a smooth move, his eye was in his eye socket again, rolling around to fit back in place.

Wrath nudged Naruto, and he raised an eyebrow. "Ah, yes. If there is nothing more, I'm afraid you must leave, Jiraiya-sama." He gestured towards the door. Jiraiya hesitated. "…No, there's nothing. Is there anyway I can contact you? And…how old are you?" He wondered.

"Speak our name, and we'll be there, Jiraiya-sama. Don't bother to figure out how. And my age? I'm turning eight today." Jiraiya nodded, and smiled slightly, handing Naruto a small package from his pouch. "Sorry I haven't been around, Naruto. Happy birthday." He said, and went out, being led to the outside world once more by Sloth.

"Hm…" Naruto tryingly shook the package, before opening it. Wrath looked curiously, though wary on it. Inside the package was a small silver chain, a necklace. Naruto sniffed it. "Almost pure silver. Must've cost a lot." He observed, before tying it around his neck.

"Do you not hate him, for not being there for you?" Wrath questioned, his illusion fading as well as he took off his hood, revealing a boy with blood-red hair and turquoise eyes with black rims around. On his forehead was a red tattoo, the kanji for love.

Naruto shook his head. "He's a ninja. He has duties. Besides, he remembered to give me a gift. I love gifts." He smiled widely, and Wrath couldn't help but smile slightly as well.

"You're strange, Naruto." He informed the blonde boy, who nodded. "I am. But so are we all, aren't we? Now go get some sleep, Gaara. I've put up a new ward for you."

"Thank you."

XXX

Naruto, once more with his hood up, strolled leisurely towards a room where the sound of mechanics rang through the door. He knocked once, and entered.

Inside, there were two girls working at something, and Naruto had to pause to look admiringly at the finished projects hanging around the room. Both girls had their cloaks hanged away, but they wore a small, thin scarf in their color around their neck.

The oldest-looking girl had waist-long, light blonde hair tied into a thin braid. Her skin was pale, and her eyes slightly tilted and dark grey. Both she and the other girl wore only black pants, black close-toed shinobi sandals and a sports bra, though they didn't really need the upper-garment, considering their lack of being filled out yet. Her scarf was blue.

The other girl had short, blue-tinted black hair with lighter highlights. She also had pale skin, though somewhat paler than both the older girl and Naruto. Her eyes were white, with sheen of lavender and no pupils. Her scarf was orange.

"Pride. Is there something you need?" The one with the blue scarf, Lust, wondered. Naruto nodded. "My hand is somewhat difficult to move. Would you please take a look?" He wondered, holding forth his right arm. The orange-scarfed one, Gluttony, rolled her eyes.

"You're our leader, you know. You can just order us to do it." She pointed out, while putting away their newest project and gesturing for the violet-clad boy to put his hand on the table.

"But that wouldn't be no fun, would it? Besides, you're my friends. I won't order you in this setting." Naruto smiled, pulling off his black glove and pulling his sleeve over his elbow.

"Yeah, yeah. Where's Wrath? He's usually with you." Gluttony wondered. Naruto smiled fondly, and shrugged. "I sent him to bed. God knows he needs it." He said, and winced slightly as Lust hit his mechanical arm with a hammer.

"Hm, you can still feel through it, at least." She smirked at his annoyed look.

"Just get on with it, you pesky cat."

"You're so impatient, lil fox."

XXX

Jiraiya had a thoughtful look as he entered the Hokage's office. His teacher beamed at him, until he saw the younger, though old, man's face.

"What did you find out?" He wondered. Jiraiya looked at him calmly. "They're no threat, yet, as their leader, Pride, said. Apparently there are seven of them. I met Sloth, a green-clad one, Pride and Wrath." He explained.

The Hokage narrowed his eyes. "Four out of seven…what of their power levels, and do you perhaps have any knowledge of who they are?" He asked. Jiraiya twitched internally, but he wasn't a master of spying and lies for nothing.

"Those that I met all seemed considerably strong. Perhaps B-rank. And they all wear large cloaks covering their whole body. I could not even see whether they were men or women, and their voices were clearly faked, and they knew I knew it. Pride was the only one I could see anything of, and that was a shining red light where his right eye would be."

Jiraiya finished his tale of intricate white lies and half-truths without as much as a single move to indicate he was lying. The Hokage nodded thoughtfully. "Keep an eye on them." He ordered, and Jiraiya vanished from the office just as a blonde boy with a tan, boyish face and six whisker marks burst into it.

XXX

"Jiraiya didn't tell. He can be trusted, for the moment, at least." Naruto said in satisfaction, looking at the green-clad Envy. "Hn. We better be careful still. Any news about Akatsuki?" His dispassionate voice wondered.

"Hm, not yet. Our spy has been accepted, but he haven't been a member for enough time yet." Naruto mused, flexing his fixed hand. "Did your arm go nuts again?" Envy asked. Naruto smiled slightly.

"Only a few issues with the calibrating. Lust and Gluttony fixed it quickly. Speaking of Gluttony, have you talked to her lately? She seems to miss you."

Envy started. "I was unaware. May I ask when we will return to Konoha?" He wondered. Naruto rolled his eyes calmly. "Yes you may. Don't be so formal. We will return in about a week. Lust, Greed and Wrath will be staying in case anything comes up before I can set up my clone." He explained.

Envy tilted his head. "Your clones are strange. They're all different." He mused. Naruto laughed. "Of course. I like it that way. My female clone will be put to work here, while my male clone can be dismissed until the next time I have to come."

"…Yes, you're rather androgynous yourself." Envy nodded. Naruto laughed again. "That's a nice way of saying it. I'm a bishie, to be short. It's nothing wrong with that. If not for your masculine voice and jaw line, you could be mistaken for a girl yourself."

"I suppose. I will take my leave now." The green-clad sin bowed, and walked towards the door.

"Please send in Sloth, while on your way."

"Of course."

XXX

Jiraiya was on his way out from Konoha, and was nearing Otafuku town, when he to his surprise saw Tsunade and her apprentice Shizune come towards him.

"It seems Pride likes you." The blonde woman said blandly with a slight smile. Jiraiya blinked. "He does? That's surprising. I'd have thought he'd hate me." He admitted. Shizune smiled. "I don't think Pride hates anyone. He's too cute to." She said.

Jiraiya chuckled as they neared a bar. "Cute…yes, but he's dangerous too. Don't forget that." He warned. "He knows how to reign in the dangerousness. He's much smarter than the usual kids his age. He turned eight today, you know." Tsunade said.

"I know. I think he liked the gift I gave him." Jiraiya smiled. Tsunade blinked. "You gave him a gift? What kind of gift?" She asked. Jiraiya shrugged. "A silver chain necklace. It cost me quite a lot, but he deserves it." He explained. Tsunade's eyes softened somewhat.

"He knows you're his godfather, doesn't he? He always seems to know everything." She said. The white-haired sannin nodded. "He knows. And yet he isn't angry with me for not being there for him. When did you meet him?"

"…He is quite understanding. He probably means that your duties were more important than him. And me? I met him in Tanzaku. I was running from my creditors when he appeared out of nowhere and offered to hide me. Of course, I was still my bitter, antagonistic self at the time, and blew him off." Tsunade grimaced.

Jiraiya nodded, and so she continued. "He just laughed at me, his false eye shining underneath that violet hood. Then he dragged Shizune with him, and I, of course, followed him to get my apprentice back. He conveniently did so I lost the creditors, dragging Shizune with him to their hideout, where I was surprised to see him letting go of her as soon as we arrived."

"He then bowed, and Shizune took the chance to knock his hood off. He just laughed at our shocked faces when we saw just who he was. 'I apologize for the abrupt kidnapping of your apprentice, but I am quite certain the creditors will not find you here.' He said." Tsunade smiled fondly.

"We met some of the other members as well, and in the end we ended up being kind-of members. I'm sure you won't tell Sensei, right?" The blonde ended with a threatening tone, and Jiraiya flailed comically. "I won't! …So, are you any sins? And the other members, do you know who they are? …Of course, I suppose Pride have told you not to tell."

"Me and Shizune aren't sins, but virtues, actually. Shizune is Humility, while I am the opposite of Greed, based on the fact that I am a medic, not my gambling." Tsunade eyed him carefully. Shizune nodded.

"Pride actually did allow us to tell you, if we deem you okay. As long as you don't tell, we can tell you." The black-haired apprentice informed him. Jiraiya nodded. "I've already lied to Sensei, and I will do it again if needed…as long as Konoha isn't in danger." He explained.

"Hm. You know who Pride is. I only know of Wrath, Gluttony and Lust, as Wrath always follows Pride, and Gluttony and Lust fixed his arm when we were there. Oh, you might not have known this, but his right arm from elbow down is mechanical. It's why he wears whole gloves. Anyway, Wrath's name is Sabaku no Gaara, from Suna. Gluttony might come as a surprise, as she, yes she, is Hinata Hyuuga from Konoha. Lastly, Lust is Yugito Nii from Kumo."

Jiraiya's eyes got wide. "Three jinchuuriki in one organization! And the Hyuuga heir even…Naruto's more powerful than I thought." He said.

Tsunade shrugged. "He is VERY powerful. He just doesn't admit it. He likes being seen as a friend, rather than their leader, and so they all listens to him. Also, all of the members except two are eight years old. Yugito is ten, and I think it is Envy who is nine."

"Tsunade-sama. Jiraiya-sama." A voice drawled and they both, including Shizune turned to see Sloth standing behind them.

"Sloth?" Tsunade wondered. He nodded. "It haven't been long, but Pride requests you both…you too, Shizune." He looked at the black-haired girl. Jiraiya raised one eyebrow. "How did you come here so fast?" He wondered. Sloth seemed to radiate amusement.

"I travel by shadows. Literally. Take these tags, and you'll be able to travel with me. You might get dizzy though." He warned, handing them a small piece of paper with an unknown seal.

Tsunade, Jiraiya and Shizune held the tags tight, and they all started when everything turned black and then into shadows and lights, before they were suddenly into the alley where the secret door was located.

Tsunade was leaning on Shizune, while Jiraiya looked somewhat green. Sloth chuckled and knocked on the wall. Envy opened the door and tilted his head.

"You know that only you and Pride can travel through your shadows without turning MY color." He sounded amused, and Jiraiya glared. "Why are you at the door all the time? I'd have thought you all had tasks to do." He pointed out.

Envy shrugged. "Until Greed comes back, I'm here. We spin it around." He gestured for them to come in, and closed the door behind them.

XXX

"Ah, there you are…again." Naruto smiled amiably with his hood down. Wrath had kept his up. "You didn't tell, and I'm thankful, truly. Oh, and I liked the gift, thank you." The blonde nodded to Jiraiya who smiled.

"So…why are we here?" Shizune wondered. "Ah, dear Humility, always so curious. I wondered if you and your master would come to Konoha next week, as I will have returned within that time." Naruto explained.

"Does not Tsunade-sama hate Konoha?" Wrath questioned, his somewhat hoarse voice curious. "Ah, she does, but mainly because of her loss." Naruto replied, looking directly at the blonde woman who frowned.

"Fine, we'll come by, but we won't stay for long." She allowed. Naruto nodded and turned to Jiraiya. "As for you, I merely hoped you would inform us if you find any information about Akatsuki. You see, I would be quite sad if Lust, Wrath or I myself were to be taken by them."

Jiraiya blinked, surprised that they knew the other organizations goal, and nodded. "I will. Wouldn't want to lose my godson, after all. Tell me if there is anything you need any other time." He said, and walked out together with Tsunade and Shizune.

"Was it smart to allow him to know that there are three jinchuuriki in the Seven?" Wrath wondered. Naruto tilted his head. "…He would probably have found it out on his own later, and that could've been troublesome. And as long as we don't threaten Konoha, he will be on our side. He feels that he owes it to me." He explained.

Wrath nodded slowly. "Do you have any intention of threatening Konoha, then?" He asked. Naruto shrugged. "Not at the moment. For all I care, Konoha could just turn into rubble on its own. But our goal requires trouble. It'll take a long time to realize it though." He smiled widely and stretched.

"Where's Greed, by the way?" Wrath wondered. Naruto blinked. "He's in Suna. I sent him to check on your siblings. He's scheduled to return tomorrow." He said.

Wrath tilted his head. "…Why?" He finally asked. Naruto blinked again. "Why what?" He wondered. "Why did you help me, why do you continue to help me, Lust, Greed, Sloth, Gluttony and Envy?" The red-clad boy wondered. Naruto smiled calmingly.

"I've told you this before, Gaara. I wanted to. That you're all strong is only a bonus. You're my brother. Just as Envy, Sloth and Greed are my brothers, and Lust and Gluttony are my sisters. If you need another reason than that, I'd say I didn't want other like me to suffer."

"…Thank you."

"You're welcome, little brother. Always."

XXX

**I suppose you know, or have ideas for who everyone are? If not, it will all be revealed in the next chapter...click the button, click it! ...And please do review too! ^.^**


	2. Chapter 2

**A jump in time in this chapter. Strangely enough, the last one all happened in one day, without my meaning to write so. **

**Anyway, I hope you liked it! ^.^**

"Home sweet home." Naruto smiled amiably as he, Envy and Gluttony walked into Konoha through a secret passage in the Uchiha compound. Envy was without his cloak now, so one could see his long, dark brown hair, pale skin and white eyes without pupils.

"Do you really mean that?" The longhaired boy asked with a raised eyebrow. Naruto waved his hand. "Not at all. Well, I'll see you at the academy, Hinata, Neji." He said, and disappeared in a gust of wind.

Hinata and Neji looked at each other and shrugged. "Do keep up your act of hate, my darling cousin." Hinata smiled, and gave him a hug. Neji sighed and hugged back. "I'll try. The elders and your father are completely insufferable, wanting me to report all about you, you know." He complained.

"Oh well. You're not envious of my freedom from reporting, are you? Heh, if you get any trouble, just talk to Naruto. He can solve anything." Hinata meant, nodding with a smile. Neji nodded as well. "See you later." He said, and disappeared in a plume of smoke.

Hinata shook her head and disappeared the same way as Neji.

XXX

Sloth started as Naruto appeared right in front of him as he sneaked towards his home. "Hey, Shikamaru. Cloak off now, we're in Konoha, after all." The blonde smiled. Sloth tossed off his hood and pulled the cloak off, packing it into a small hand-sized pack.

He had black hair pulled up into a pineapple-like ponytail, his eyes were somewhat droopy, and his skin was fair. "I know. You've put up the transformation already?" He wondered, seeing the normally effeminate boy looking more boyish and rough.

"Indeed I did. Can't be too careful. You should remember that, you lazy sloth." Naruto shot a pointed look at the somewhat higher boy. Shikamaru looked away. "Sorry." He apologized. Naruto clapped him in the shoulder. "It's okay, Shika. Just be more careful, all right? I have to go now, see ya at school."

Shikamaru glanced at the place Naruto disappeared from with a raised eyebrow. 'Such a strange shunshin…and powerful.' He mused, before stalking towards his home.

XXX

"Old man!" Naruto yelled happily as he barged into the Hokage's office. Said leader smiled warmly at the young boy. "What can I do for you, Naruto? …Where did you get that necklace?" He wondered, seeing the silver chain lying around his neck.

"Oh, I got it from a really nice man with lots of white hair! He seemed really old, and pervy. But old man, I got a new friend in the forest! His name is Shikamaru!" Naruto inwardly winced at his apparent hyperness, but ignored it.

"That's nice, Naruto." The Hokage smiled. Naruto narrowed his eyes mischievously. "You know what, old man? When I grow up, I want to become a leader for a really cool gang!" He declared. The Hokage looked surprised.

"Leader for a gang? I thought you wanted to become Hokage?" He said. Naruto shrugged. "Well, everyone hates me, so even if I became Hokage, they wouldn't have let me be it for long. Therefore I want to be a leader instead!" He explained.

Sandaime sighed, as Naruto had gotten negative about the people, but smiled. "Well, I'll be there to see it when you become so then." He said wearily. Naruto beamed happily.

'Of course, if you weren't a bit too busy being whipped by the council.' The blonde thought calmly.

XXX

"Hi you three!" A pale-skinned girl with long golden blonde hair in two high pigtails waved at Greed, Wrath and Lust as she flipped down the hood on her violet cloak.

"Naru. You're early." Wrath said calmly. The now named Naru shrugged. "Naruto got less to do than usual, and thus created me earlier. Has anything happened?" She wondered. Lust shook her head. "Nothing. Except that Tsunade informed us that she'll be in Konoha if we needed her." She said.

Naru nodded. "I see. Well, you're all dismissed. I'll take care of this place until I'm no longer needed. See ya all sometime else." She smiled cutely and waved as all three sins disappeared in sand, blue fire and a plume of smoke respectively.

XXX

'So Tsunade has come to Konoha, has she? She'll probably arrive here any moment then.' Naruto thought with a smile. The Hokage looked curious. "What are you smiling at, Naruto?" He wondered. Naruto grinned. "That's a secret!" He exclaimed.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Sandaime raised an eyebrow curiously. "Come in." He said, and the door opened, revealing Tsunade and Shizune, to the old man's shock.

"Hey, old man. Now don't blind yourself by thinking I'll stay here a long time, I just came for about a week or so." The blonde woman said with a smirk. The Hokage nodded. "I see. I am sad that you don't want to stay, but you're welcome for as long as you want to stay." He said.

"Who's she?" Naruto's curious voice questioned, and Tsunade and Shizune stared at him, surprised at his boyish look. "That is Tsunade, one of the legendary sannin." The Hokage explained with a smile. Naruto grinned. "Nice to meet ya! I'm Naruto, and I'm going to be a leader when I grow up!" He declared.

Tsunade smiled. "That's nice, Naruto. This is my apprentice Shizune." She gestured to the black-haired woman who waved with a smile. Naruto got a thoughtful look, and turned towards the old Hokage. "Old man! Can I go with them today? Please?" He pleaded.

Sandaime looked at Tsunade, who smiled and nodded. "Yes, just don't make too much trouble, alright?" He said. Naruto grinned, and latched onto Tsunade's leg. "I won't make trouble!" He promised.

Tsunade looked amused, while Shizune was secretly confused.

XXX

"How come you act like that?" Shizune asked silently as they walked through one of the emptier roads. Naruto shrugged. "For my safety, I suppose. It's an act I made when younger, and I've continued to use it. People now see me as an annoyance instead of a danger, and that's good enough for me." He explained with a calm smile.

"I suppose the transformation is for safety too, then? But you better act more …Naruto-like, now, as people can see us." Tsunade said. Naruto tilted his head. "Ah, but even Naruto is awed by famous persons." He pointed out, before shouting out.

"So strange." Shizune commented. Tsunade just chuckled as the little boy raced around them.

XXX

Next day, Tsunade shocked many people by following Naruto to school. "Thanks, Tsunade-sama! Though it won't help for long, people will be more wary of insulting me if you're fond of me." The blonde grinned, waved and ran into the school building.

Tsunade looked after him with a raised eyebrow. "I think I prefer Pride to this Naruto, but he's cute though." She muttered.

Inside, Naruto sat down beside Sasuke Uchiha. The brooding boy looked at him with a raised eyebrow, before turning back. Naruto smiled. "I see you've returned. That's good." He said silently, wary of the sharp ears of Kiba Inuzuka.

"Did you think I wouldn't? I'm awed by your trust in me, leader." Sasuke muttered. Naruto laughed, causing many to turn their heads to look incredulously at him.

"I was first!" "No, I was!" Both boys sighed as they heard the best-friends-turned-rivals a week ago yell at each other. "I don't envy you their affection." Naruto smirked. Sasuke glanced irritated at him. "Lust and Gluttony are way better than those two girls. Don't get why they're so interested in me anyway." He grumbled.

"Because you're the tragic offer of the Uchiha massacre, and you're handsome, of course." Naruto replied, before rolling his eyes as the two girls knocked him out of his seat.

"Y-You can s-sit here i-if you want, Naruto." Hinata's shy, stuttering voice said, and the blonde turned to see her blushing brightly as she nearly folded into herself.

"Thanks, Hinata." He grinned, and sat down, ignoring Kiba's glare. "Good job with the stuttering. Should've thought you were a natural." He mused with a smirk. Hinata rolled her eyes subtly. "Yeah, yeah. At least you're outspoken. I have to be a shy mouse." She complained.

"Suck it up. I'd hate to be Neji, as he have to be all stuck-up and hate you." Naruto pointed out. Hinata frowned. "Yes…these masks, I sure hope we can get rid of them by…graduation?" She tried. Naruto nodded. "Of course, somewhat. I'm afraid Neji has to hold up his guise quite a while, as him loving you would result in you getting another guard." He shook his head sadly, then sat straight up as the teacher came in.

XXX

"Insufferable school." Naruto muttered as he stretched inside his apartment. Tsunade looked at him with a slight smile. "What was wrong this time?" She wondered, looking around as the young boy did a few hand signs, making a sound and image barrier, and releasing his transformation.

Checking his metallic arm, Naruto shrugged. "It focuses too much on information, instead of action. And half of that information is wrong, or ineffective. Besides, how would knowing about your grandfather help me in battle? Only if we heard about potential battle plans and such he did, that's how. And we don't." He explained.

Tsunade nodded. "That's very true." She agreed with a grimace. Shizune peeked in the door, and quickly closed it after walking in. "The tag you gave me works great, Naruto! I can see through every single genjutsu I've encountered so far! …Though that isn't very many." She smiled.

Naruto touched her, dispelling the barrier-genjutsu. "That's good. That means I can give it to my subordinates as well." He nodded to himself, satisfied.

Tsunade tilted her head curiously. "You call them subordinates, or siblings, and act nothing like a leader, as far as I've seen at least, but what are they to you, really?" She asked.

Naruto tilted his head. "I act like a leader when needed, otherwise, I'm simply the one with the most say in things. And for me, they are siblings, and subordinates. I mostly think of them as my siblings though. Jiraiya, he's like an uncle, even though I've only met him once-twice. Shizune, she's like my sister, and you…I'd say an aunt, or grandma. Though you'd likely prefer aunt, right?" He chuckled.

"You got that right, brat." Tsunade nodded. Shizune giggled silently.

XXX

"Narutoooo! I'm so bored! Can we please move back to the base? It's mental murder to sit at school." Hinata sighed as she sat at a branch and waved her feet back on forth in a large tree inside the forest of death.

Naruto hang upside down in another tree, and raised an eyebrow. "You get the information about school from the clone I taught you, so why is this so bad?" He wondered. Hinata glared flatly at him. "Because at the time, I had work to do, and just sorted that information at the back of my mind." She explained dryly.

"Why can't we stay at the base all time and let the clones stay here?" Sasuke questioned, sitting on another branch. Naruto swung himself up and smiled amiably. "Because the clones indirectly pick up some of our characteristics when we forget to suppress it from the link. And it takes time to gather strength to make another clone. That's why we have to stay here sometimes." He explained calmly.

"Why don't you just fix the time and characterization issue then?" Shikamaru wondered from under them. Naruto sighed. "It's not that easy, Shika. Look, two more days, and you can make the clones and be gone for a while. I'll even add a seal to help them and you last longer. A month sound good for you?" He offered.

"What about you? You work and work, don't you get tired? You mustn't work yourself to exhaustion." Neji piped in from beside Hinata. Naruto shrugged easily and leapt from his tree to stand beside the two Hyuuga cousins.

"I like to work. It keeps my mind occupied. And don't worry; I won't work too much, okay? I can make more clones than you anyway."

"Still. Neji's right, Naruto. I can't help but feel that you work loads more than us, and it's not good." Sasuke muttered. Naruto sighed. "I work more because I'm leader. That's just how it is. Now you be good subordinates and just help if I need it? Good." He clapped his hands together.

"Fine, you stubborn boy. Anyway, how's your arm? It seems okay by first glance, but I'm not a mechanic for nothing." Hinata raised an eyebrow, and Naruto sighed in defeat and put his arm forward, pulling off his glove.

Hinata checked the fingers, the joints and the connection to the organic arm. "Hm, there's a slight fracture right here…there, now it should be better." She grinned triumphantly as she mended it with a spark of chakra. Naruto grinned and gave her a hug.

"Thanks a lot, my dear sister. Now return to your homes, if you'd please. If there is anything, you know how to contact, or find me." He raised an eyebrow, smirked, and was gone in a slight breeze.

"…He's overworking himself, I'm sure." Sasuke deadpanned as soon as the smaller boy was gone. Shikamaru sighed. "Yes, but we'll just have to watch out for him, right? Now, we should do as our leader said. See ya'll some other time." He smirked tiredly and disappeared in a whirlwind of leaves.

XXX

Naru blinked as she listened to the Sins' spy in Akatsuki. "They want him in Akatsuki? How strange…and good for us, I'd say." She smirked. The spy, cloaked in black nodded. "We'll approach him in about a week. Gives you time to warn him, and give him whatever orders you need." He said, his monotone voice silent.

"Very well. I won't hold you away anymore. I suppose your duties in Akatsuki will become more frequent, so we will cease communication until _we_ contact_ you._ Okay?" Naru raised an eyebrow, and got a nod in return. The spy bowed and disappeared in a plume of smoke.

"So that gives us the chance of two spies…good."

XXX

Naruto blinked as he assimilated the new information from his female clone. Tsunade looked over at him. "What is it?" She wondered. Naruto shook his head slightly. "Akatsuki's on the move. They're going to recruit one of ours…Deidara of Iwa. Hm…if I'm needed, I'll be in my room." He explained, heading there.

"Deidara…? How strange." Tsunade commented.

XXX

Deidara looked warily around in the abandoned temple he had taken to live in. His long blonde locks swayed as he swiftly turned around and tossed a flying clay bird at another blonde, who simply grabbed and crushed the bird before it could detonate.

"That's my welcome? How nice." The Naruto clone deadpanned. Deidara blinked. "Oh, Naruto. Sorry, hm." He shrugged. Naruto snorted. "Sure you are. Anyway, I actually gave you nearly my entire consciousness this time, and you blow me off? I've got news." He said.

Deidara raised an eyebrow. "Too bad you didn't forget your sarcasm. What kind of news could have anything with me to do, hm?" He wondered.

"The Akatsuki is coming to recruit you." Naruto said calmly, silently enjoying Deidara's look of shock. "The Akatsuki? But surely they have to know that I'm a jinchuuriki?" He pointed out. Naruto shrugged. "I'd say they think your talents are valuable. And you're 'young enough' to mold, but old enough to handle yourself. Except for Roshi, that old goat, everyone else is too young. No, the jinchuuriki of the Rokubi…but he doesn't listen to anyone." He said.

"You forgot Kirabi, hm." Deidara said with a slight grin. Naruto sighed. "Yeah, well he's too protected anyway. I just wanted you to know it when they came. If you accepted, after a fight, I suppose, you could become our spy. I would be thankful if you could do that. Please, dear cousin?" He pleaded with an innocent grin.

"…Quit the 'dear' thing, all right? It freaks me out. But yeah, I can go 'I spy' for you, hm." The older blonde grinned. Naruto grinned too. "Thanks. It does help to have more on the inside, after all. If you didn't know, Itachi Uchiha is our other insider. Though I suppose you two could fight a lot, making you two a less likely couple to have anything to do with each other." He said.

Deidara sighed. "Fine, hm. You know, I think you're overworking yourself, Naruto." He looked critically at the younger boy, who waved his mechanical hand, which was for once not covered by a glove. "You sound like my siblings. Though I should probably have known you'd say that. You're too sharp for your own good." He sighed.

"Does that mean you're admitting it, hm? And I'm supposed to know stuff like that, I am your older cousin, or even brother figure, you know." Deidara pointed out. Naruto snorted. "My sarcastic older cousin. I picked up my sarcasm from you. And no, I'm not admitting anything. I can watch out for myself." He decided.

"You're a kid, Naruto. By the way, where did you get the necklace? Kinda suits you, hm."

"It was a gift from my godfather, Jiraiya of the sannin. And I think he's still unaware of you having any relation to the fourth Hokage, or me. Though the rumors circulate, still." Naruto rolled his eyes. Deidara smirked. "Then they can circulate all they want, they're only rumors after all, hm. Now shoo, and get some sleep."

Naruto rolled his eyes again, smiled and disappeared in a plume of smoke. Deidara sighed slowly. "You work way too much lil cousin, hm." He muttered before going to prepare how to meet the Akatsuki.

XXX

"Whoa! Geez kid, I thought you'd never wake up." Tsunade exclaimed seeing Naruto open his eyes suddenly. He rose and stretched, wincing at his sore muscles from sitting in meditation position for so long. "I sent most of my consciousness to the clone talking with Deidara. He'll be our spy. But answer me one thing, Tsunade-sama. Do I really look like I overwork myself?" He demanded.

Tsunade raised one eyebrow calmly. "Yes. You try to do everything all the time. Calm down and relax sometime. What brought this on?" She wondered. Naruto sighed. "My siblings and my cousin pointed it out several times."

"Cousin?" Tsunade sounded surprised, and Naruto palmed his face. "Yes, I am tired, if I even forgot to be careful with that. Deidara is my cousin. He is the son of my father's sister, though not many know he had a sister. Do keep it a secret, will you?" He pleaded.

"Of course I will, Naruto. Now get some sleep. I'm a medic, and I say you definitely need it."

"Yes ma'am."

XXX

**And more crazy twists are revealed! The Deidara is Naruto's cousin thing I got the inspiration to from a one-shot depicting them as half brothers. They do have the same hair and eye color, somewhat, after all. **

**And Naruto had been overworking himself. How strange. I thought he worked quite little.**

**Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Another chapter to this one... ^.^ It'll probably be just as confusing as the other ones! ;P**

"No." Gaara's voice denied calmly, glaring at his father. The kazekage scowled. "You will listen to me, and that's that!" He commanded. Gaara scowled slightly as well.

"I will not. You cannot honestly expect me to kill my sister and make it seem like an accident."

"Yes I can! She hates you just as much as everybody else, you little monster." The kazekage hissed. Gaara narrowed his eyes, and his sand swirled around his feet, agitated. "You know nothing of my sister." He sneered.

The kazekage growled angrily, but dared not try to grab or hit Gaara, due to the sand. "I tire of your arrogance, _father._ Leave me, or I can no longer control the sand." The redhead drawled. The kazekage scowled again, but hurriedly left.

"He wants you to kill Temari? Why is that?" A soothing voice asked, and Gaara looked up to see Pride standing by the window. He sighed. "I believe he wants to blame one of the other villages, causing trouble, basically." He explained tiredly.

Pride nodded slowly. "I see…such an uncaring father. Now that you have declined, he will surely send someone else. Allow me to accompany you on your mission." He smiled, fangs glinting in the spare-some light allowed by the hood.

"I, leader, you can't! You have other things to do!" Gaara protested weakly. Pride flicked off his hood calmly. "None that matters. Naru is back at the base, Naruto is in Konoha…and I am here. Of course, I will alter my appearance somewhat." The blonde boy nodded.

"…Thank you, in that case. We will leave at sunrise." Gaara smiled slightly, only a quirk of hi lips. Naruto tilted his head. "Very well. I will see you then, Gaara."

XXX

"Where is that brat?" Kankuro muttered, and started when another voice answered. "Which brat would you be referring to?" Gaara asked as he came walking to the gate of the village, a black-cloaked person trailing behind him.

"U-Uh, nobody!" The cat-hooded boy gulped. Gaara narrowed his eyes. Temari frowned. "Gaara, who's that?" She questioned, not meeting his gaze. "This is Lucifer. He'll be coming with us." He replied calmly.

"But, shouldn't you ask Baki-sensei first?" Temari wondered, seeing the older man narrow his eyes at the black-cloaked stranger. "No. Lucifer is coming either way." Gaara droned.

Temari nodded slightly and looked away. Lucifer stepped up beside her, and she was slightly unnerved to see a crimson light where his right eye would probably be.

"Do not worry, I am merely here as an…escort, I suppose. I would advise you to keep eyes and ears open, for your father has dangerous plans…"

The blonde-haired girl lifted her head in shock, only to discover that Lucifer now stood beside Gaara again. 'W-What did he mean by that?' She wondered, slightly fearful.

Baki sat out, and the three genin and Lucifer ran after him, all but Gaara watching the unknown person seemingly glide across the ground.

XXX

Sitting around a small fire, Temari bit her lip slightly as she saw how Gaara seemed drawn to the strange Lucifer's presence. He seemed…relaxed, almost. While she might not show it a lot, she treasured her younger brother dearly, and she couldn't help but feel that maybe Gaara should be more careful with the stranger.

"So, Lucifer? How old are you?" She asked, trying to start up a conversation. The hooded stranger tilted his head. "Old enough. What about you?" He replied, and she could feel his amusement. "I'm fourteen. Kankuro's twelve and I suppose you might know that Gaara is eleven." She said.

Kankuro scowled. "Don't go telling strangers about me!" He growled. Lucifer looked at him. "She was only telling your age, and I fail to see how that is important information." He smiled under his hood.

Kankuro huffed, while Gaara smirked. "Why do you go all cloaked up?" The black-clad boy asked. Lucifer chuckled. "Because I want to. I could go without, if you want, but then I would put up an illusion." He answered. "Well, that would be better than the cloak." Kankuro muttered.

Lucifer put his hands up, and with a poof of smoke, the cloak was gone. The one standing there now was a boy. He had ink-black hair that was slightly ruffled, very pale skin, one ice blue eye and one crimson eye. He had slight fangs and claws, and his clothing was a simple black t-shirt, black pants and no shoes. He looked to be about twelve-thirteen years old.

Temari and Kankuro gawked, though Temari was less open about it. "Let me remind you, that this is not my true form." Lucifer smirked and his eyes glinted.

"…You were quite impressive in dealing with the bandits, but it is clear that was not the reason you came with us?" Baki stated with a slight shifting of his eyes. Lucifer nodded.

"Indeed, that was not the case. But I'm afraid I will not indulge your curiosity about that." He replied smoothly. "Lucifer…as amusing as it is, seeing you play with my siblings and teacher, I think something's going to happen soon." Gaara said silently.

Lucifer nodded. "That seems to be about right. Can you feel how many?" He asked. Gaara nodded. "You already know that. There are three of them. By the small contact with the ground, I assume they are jonin or higher." He said, with his eyes closed.

"…What are you talking about?" Temari asked apprehensively. Lucifer smiled widely, fangs glinting.

"The assassins your father sent for you, of course."

XXX

"How's it going in Suna?" Hinata wondered as she fiddled with a small, eye-sized camera. Naru pursed her lips thoughtfully. "The assassins just arrived, to Temari's disbelief. Lucifer is excited for some action." She chuckled.

Hinata blinked. "Lucifer? Did you get yet another identity?" She said, as she looked incredulously at the taller girl. Naru nodded with a smirk. "It's not that many. True Naruto, Konoha Naruto, me, Pride, and Lucifer." She explained.

"That's five." Sasuke deadpanned as he came into the workroom without his hood on. "And isn't Lucifer the demon associated with Pride? Clever." He smirked. Naru nodded.

"Indeed. Now, I want you to get some of the kazekage's more… hidden documents." She ordered with a wicked smile. Hinata snorted. "And then you want Sasuke to spread it out, hm? Wicked." She said.

Sasuke nodded. "I'll get them. Anything special?" He asked. Naru shook her head. "Nothing much. Be careful, and if you are in danger for being found, you know what to do."

"I'm never found when I don't want to."

"Psh."

XXX

"Sabaku Sousou!" Gaara intoned as he crushed one of the assassins with his sand. All that escaped was a strangled scream. Baki was confused, therefore doing nothing, while Kankuro and Temari stood back to back, incase the assassins should be able to get by Gaara and Lucifer.

Lucifer faded out from standing beside Gaara and appeared again, kicking one of the wanna-be assassins in the face and flipping back. "Bye, bye." He waved happily, and the assassin blinked in horror as a paper bomb materialized on his face, and detonated.

"…Not to take attention away from the danger…but Gaara and Lucifer are kind of …alike. With the gore and stuff when they kill." Kankuro muttered. Temari nodded mutely.

"Great minds think alike, haven't you heard that before? Besides, the only reason I was able to kill him like that was because he thought I wouldn't do something as risky as that. Well, he couldn't see the paper, but still." Lucifer chuckled, and put his attention to the third and last assassin.

"Gaara." The black-haired boy nodded towards the frightened assassin, and the redhead grinned and within a few seconds, the last assassin was caught in a dome of sand.

Lucifer clapped his hands together with a smile. "Now then, I already know why the kazekage sent you, you're the youngest of the trio, and you don't want to be here. That means the only question left is…do you want to die fast or slowly?" He sneered.

"P-Please, I-!" The assassin simpered, and Temari marched over to him. "I know that voice. What the hell are you doing, trying to come and kill me, huh?" She demanded, giving him a bitch slap.

Lucifer, Gaara and Kankuro winced.

"It was the kazekage-sama's orders!" The assassin cried. Lucifer waved his hand airily. "Doesn't matter, you could've refused. Now, you didn't answer my question? Default answer is slow death." He deadpanned.

"Don't! We must take him back to kazekage-sama. There must be something wrong." Baki claimed. Gaara glared coldly. "That man first asked _me_ to kill Temari. When I refused, he chose these foolish men, and they shall all die for their mistake of being a threat to my sister." He said.

Lucifer discreetly walked past Baki, pushed Temari away, and grinned wickedly at the assassin. "Goodbye." He breathed, pressing his palm to the man's head, making an explosive seal appear.

Baki started. "What did you do?" He demanded. Lucifer raised one eyebrow. "There is no escape from that. He himself is an explosive now…so I suggest you all step away." He chuckled, and as soon as they did as told, and Gaara covered the man, he snapped his fingers.

XXX

"…I think either Pride or Lucifer just blew someone up." Hinata stage-whispered, looking at Naru who was snickering. Neji nodded. "Most definitely. It's probably a good thing he did, or he would soon have begun targeting us." He shivered.

Hinata blinked, and nodded.

"Poor those who were blown up though. Wanna bet what he blew up this time?" She grinned. Neji frowned. "You've been too much around Tsunade-sama. But okay, I bet my lunch that he blew up their faces." He smirked.

"Well, then I bet my lunch that he blew up their chests." Hinata retorted.

"Neji wins, Hinata! Hehehe, it seems people from Suna are unused to blowing up people…" Naru giggled.

"Damn. Well, I'll give you my lunch later."

XXX

"Thank you for your help, leader." Gaara bowed slightly to Naruto who was once again in his Pride get-up, with the hood down. He grinned mischievously and ruffled Gaara's hair. "Don't worry about it, Gaara. I'll always help, that's what I'm here for!" He chuckled.

There was a knock on Gaara's door, and he looked up. Naruto sniffed the air calmly. "It's Temari." He said, and flipped his hood up. Gaara frowned slightly. "Don't worry about me being here, everything has a reason…"

"Gaara? Um, do you know where Lucifer went off to? I forgot to thank him yesterday for the help against those assassins." Temari explained, and blinked as she saw someone else in the room with Gaara.

Gaara let his eyes drift to Pride, before looking at Temari again. "I don't know where he is right now… He has work to do." He replied. Pride snorted. "Knowing Lucifer, he's probably doing something else…just as important." He said pointedly.

Gaara smirked slightly, and Temari blinked again. 'He's friendly two strangers in just two days? What's up with Gaara?' She wondered. Pride gave an exaggerated bow, being careful with keeping his hood on. "I am known as Pride, nice to meet you."

Temari bowed slightly back. "I'm Temari…is Pride your real name?" She said dubiously. Pride shook his head. "Not at all, that would be quite strange, wouldn't it?" He questioned in an amused tone. Gaara coughed lightly.

"Don't you have work to do?" He pointed out. "…Same response as to what Lucifer should be doing, you annoying tanuki. Gods, you all either say I work too much, or not enough." The violet-cloaked person tossed his hands in the air.

"What are you talking about?" Temari demanded, narrowing her eyes. Pride clapped his gloved hands together. "I'll answer that later. First, I have to question you. How loyal are you to your father? To Suna?" He asked.

Temari's eyes flickered about, and Pride chuckled. "I have put up privacy seals, so no one can hear you." He assured. Temari sighed, and plumped down on Gaara's unused bed. "I hate that bastard calling himself my father, honestly, he tried to kill me! …Now I know how you feel, Gaara. Anyway, I don't really have any ties to Suna. What about it?" She wondered.

Gaara sighed and looked at Pride who made a thoughtful noise. "Are you good at keeping secrets? And with that, I mean not-telling-even-if-tortured-kind of keeping secrets…" He wondered. Temari shrugged. "I suppose." She replied carefully.

Pride nodded. "If not, I'll just use a seal. Anyway, Gaara, don't you think she would fit? She needs training, of course, but from what I've seen so far, I'd say Temari would be a nice Diligence…" He smirked. Temari blinked, while Gaara sighed again.

"It's dangerous." He muttered. Pride snapped his fingers, and Temari frowned, that gesture seemed very familiar… "Everything is dangerous to some degree, and you know that. Temari can take care of herself, and she'll have at least one member close at all times while in action…if she chooses to join, of course." He waved his hand.

"Chooses to join what?" Temari demanded, narrowing her eyes once again. "The Seven Deathly Sins! …Well, you'd be a virtue, but still." Pride shrugged. Temari's eyes widened, before she raised an eyebrow. "Isn't it supposed to be deadly?" She wondered.

"…No? I think we all just agreed on it being Deathly…it seems somewhat less compact, for some reason. But will you join?" Pride asked. Temari nodded slowly. "I…maybe. But I can't just leave Gaara…and Kankuro, to an extent." She claimed.

Gaara smirked. "You wouldn't be leaving me…and in any case, we usually return to our villages quite often." He said offhandedly, and Temari's eyes widened once more. "You're a member of this group?" She exclaimed. Gaara twirled a small scroll he got from his ninja pouch in his hands, and unfurled it.

In a moment, he was wearing the red cloak, and black clothing underneath. "I am Wrath." He smirked, tilting his head. "…Who are you, then?" Temari asked carefully, Pride chuckled.

"Me? My real name's Naruto. I'm from Konoha, nice to meet you." He flipped off the hood, and Temari seemed startled. "I am the leader of the Seven. If you agree to join, you will be lowest ranked for now, but if there is anything you need, you only need to find me."

"You're a bishie." Temari muttered. Naruto laughed, while Wrath tilted his head. "Is there something wrong with that? I cannot help how I look, and I am perfectly fine with it either way." The blonde boy smiled.

Temari shook her head. "Well…I'd be happy to join the Seven Deadly…Deathly…Sins." She said with a serious face.

"Wonderful! Now I'm afraid I'm a little busy, something came up at the base. Gaara, you know what to do. Bye." And with that, Naruto disappeared in a gust of wind.

XXX

"Give me those papers." Naru demanded, and Greed quickly handed them over. The blonde girl looked over the papers with a scowl. "He's worse than I thought." She muttered. Greed blinked, crimson eyes fading to black. "Oh?" He wondered.

"Yep. These here are written deals with the black market, this one is a letter from Orochimaru of the frickin' sannin, these are orders to try and abduct other jinchuuriki…" The pig-tailed girl drifted off just as Pride arrived.

"And that last paper right there is a deal with Danzo about getting Uchiha eyes. Fortunately, it seems the eyes were somehow destroyed on the trip." The violet-cloaked boy finished darkly.

Greed scowled mightily. "I've never liked either of them." He sneered. Pride snorted. "Understandable. Hm…I want you to get some of these papers to Jiraiya, and these others to our darker contacts…the rumor spreaders, hm?" He said.

"I'm on it."

XXX

Naruto sat in a meditative pose with his eyes closed when Hinata barged into his apartment. "Naruto! You have to help! Neji's in trouble with some of the older main branch Hyuuga's! I can't help since I'm supposed to be so weak…!" She gritted her teeth.

Naruto leapt up from the floor with narrowed eyes. "I see. I'll help, but I'd rather not be Naruto…" He muttered, and with a quick hand sign, he had turned into Lucifer.

"Come on, where are they?" He demanded. Hinata dashed away on the rooftops. Lucifer followed hurriedly, scouting over the village. People seemed drawn towards the Hyuuga compound…

The white-eyed girl and the black-haired boy stopped on a roof overlooking the front of the compound. Neji was currently fighting against four main branch Hyuuga's, and with the level he was supposed to have, was failing.

"My, my Neji…seems you got some trouble…" Lucifer drawled, quietly sneaking through the crowd. Neji frowned. 'That chakra signature…another one of Naruto's clones…this must be Lucifer then.' He thought, dodging a palm full of chakra.

"Indeed…and as you can see, I'm having trouble." He panted. Lucifer sighed. "Yo, Hyuuga freaks. Attention here please! Magen, mabayui bakari jigoku no jutsu. (Demonic illusion, blinding hell)" He smirked in grim satisfaction as all the Hyuuga's except Neji fell to the ground screaming and whimpering.

The crowd was shocked and restless, but Lucifer paid no mind as he went over to Neji. "You okay?" He asked. Neji nodded shortly. "You made a new one." He noted. Lucifer nodded. "I made a new one. As you can see, it is very effective on people who rely on their eyes…" He sneered.

"As long as you don't use it on me, or Hinata." Neji muttered.

"What is this?" A serious voice demanded, as Hiashi Hyuuga came storming from the compound. Lucifer snapped his fingers, and the Hyuuga's lying on the ground stopped screaming, and only breathed heavily as they slowly opened their eyes in wonder.

"I apologize, Hyuuga-sama…I tend to forget my own restrictions when I see my friends get hurt…unfairly. My name is Lucifer, by the way." Lucifer smiled darkly, and some villagers cringed as his right eye, the crimson one, rolled completely around in his eye socket.

"Hm. See to it that it does not happen again. Neji, come." Hiashi snapped. Neji sighed inaudibly and followed, throwing a glance at Lucifer and the now frightened Hyuuga members lying in front of him.

XXX

"Geez, so much trouble nowadays…" Lucifer muttered, before changing into Naruto and sitting down in a meditative pose again.

XXX

**Okay, for those of you who get confused (including me) I've made a list over who's who in the SDS, people that have an association with them, their colors, alternate names…also, the Sins themselves are called by their real names without the hoods/cloaks, and their sin with the hood on. Here you go:**

Naruto/Pride/Naru/Lucifer. Sin: Pride. Color: Violet

Gaara/Wrath. Sin: Wrath. Color: Red

Yugito/Lust. Sin: Lust. Color: Blue

Hinata/Gluttony. Sin: Gluttony. Color: Orange

Sasuke/Greed. Sin/Greed. Color: Yellow

Neji/Envy. Sin: Envy. Color: Green

Shikamaru/Sloth. Sin: Sloth. Color: Light blue

Tsunade/Charity. Virtue: Charity. Task: Medic

Shizune/Humility. Virtue: Humility

Jiraiya. Task: Information

Deidara. Task: Spy

Itachi. Task: Spy

Temari/Diligence. Virtue: Diligence

**Okay, I think those are it, so far. I'll try to remember to update the list every two-three chapters…**

**Hope you liked this chapter as well, and please review! ^.^**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hm... Oh, hey! I made another chapter! Hope you like. ^::^**

"How troublesome." Naruto borrowed Shikamaru's favorite phrase as he looked at the papers on his desk. One week. It was one week until the graduation exam.

"How so?" Gaara's rough voice questioned as he flipped down his hood to deliver yet another stack of papers. Naruto glared somewhat at them. "The graduation exam. Both you, Neji and Yugito have been active ninja for a while, but now everyone will be, and that is a bit troublesome indeed." He explained.

Gaara nodded. "I assume you have put up a plan though?" He smiled softly. Naruto nodded. "Of course I have. The seven will still be active, though not the same way as before. The jutsu Itachi and Deidara got from the Akatsuki will be useful too." He mused.

The redhead tilted his head curiously. "The one connected to our necklaces?" He wondered. Naruto nodded. "It is rather useful. Hm, call up the others, will you?" He smiled as Gaara nodded and went to find everyone.

XXX

"Can we finally drop our masks in one week then?" Hinata asked hopefully as she fiddled with her scarf. Naruto chuckled silently at her eagerness. "Yes, we can." He nodded. Hinata grinned and punched the air. "Yeah! No more miss shy!" She cheered.

Sasuke snorted. "Lucky you, now that you 'suddenly grow a backbone' your only suitor will be pushed away by your own power. My annoying fangirls…? Nah." He sighed.

"No big changes for me." Shikamaru yawned, and stretched. Neji narrowed his eyes. "I will continue to keep up my act, for at least a while longer." He sighed. Yugito smirked. "I don't have any act, and I'm damn happy for it! Too bad for you though, Neji." She wrinkled her nose.

The longhaired boy nodded. A soft chuckle brought all of their attentions to Naruto again. "All dismissed. I'll see you soon, most of you." He smiled as they all nodded and disappeared.

"This'll be interesting, I think…"

XXX

Absolutely everyone was surprised when they saw the quartet of known people walk together amiably, and with – in two cases – drastically different looks.

Hinata, the shy girl in a hooded parka and pants, with her head always down and a blush on her cheeks stood straight, talking to Naruto. She was wearing black Capri pants, black sandals and a black sports bra with a white sun on the back. A thin orange scarf hung around her neck. A belt with several mechanical tools hung on her shapely hips.

Naruto, the moronic boy in an orange jumpsuit, always yelling and vying for attention was smiling softly as he listened to the formerly shy girl. His tan skin had become paler, as had his sunny blonde hair, which now hung more instead of sticking straight up.

He had three silver rings in his left ear, and two in his right, with a black feather connected to one of them. A silver necklace was around his neck. He had a simple black karate gi, with a violet sash around his mid. The sleeves on the top were longer than usual, about 10 centimeters past the blonde's hands.

Also, the rough-looking boy was now a bishie.

Sasuke was as cool as ever, though he seemed more relaxed than he used to be. Simple black ninja pants with bandages down to black ninja sandals, and a black t-shirt with fishnet underneath was the clothes he had changed to, as well as a yellow stone in a necklace around his neck.

Shikamaru was ever lazy, though he was actively following Hinata and Naruto's conversation. He was wearing dark grey pants, black ninja sandals, a fishnet shirt and a light blue bandana around his neck.

Naruto sat down in the middle of one bench, and Hinata sat on his right, with Sasuke choosing the seat to his left. Shikamaru chose to sit behind the softly smiling blonde.

"What the hell?"

XXX

Naruto's right eye swiveled to look at Mizuki as he came out with a forehead protector, or headband, in his hand. The silver-haired man was visibly seething, though Iruka seemed to be ignorant of it.

His three subordinates noted it too, with a narrowing of their eyes. 'Honestly, they're too protective.' Naruto thought, amused. "Mizuki-sensei, is there anything bothering you?" The blonde asked slowly, a smile stretching over his lips.

Mizuki sneered, but didn't say anything. Iruka looked confused between the two, and all four of the seven felt various degrees of amusement at his apparent dense-ness.

"Sasuke, would you be as kind as to help me a bit? Your hypnosis is more effective than mine, after all." Sasuke smirked and leapt down from his perch. Iruka stood up, confused, only to frown in further confusion as he noted that he was being held still by Shikamaru's shadow jutsu.

"Mizuki." Sasuke said, with a hypnotic quality to his voice. The silver-haired man looked into the dark-haired boy's eyes, and flinched as he saw fully matured sharinghan glaring at him, before everything seemed to swim.

"What were you trying to do?" Sasuke demanded silently. The drowsy-looking man blinked slowly. "I would use the demon fox to steal the Forbidden scroll, blame it all on him and kill him. I would be a hero!" He exclaimed.

Iruka looked stricken. "M-Mizuki, what are you…?" He stammered. Sasuke spared him a single glance. "You heard him. Don't interrupt, he can't hear you either way." He explained.

"Whom do you work for?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes, as Mizuki seemed to struggle. "O-Orochimaru." He claimed. Sasuke narrowed his eyes menacingly, but Naruto clapped a hand on his shoulder. "That's enough. Iruka-sensei, would you be as kind as to deliver him to Ibiki? We have other priorities, at the moment." He smiled to the brown-haired teacher.

Iruka nodded grimly, not daring to question the newfound abilities of Naruto and his – was it really? – Friends. "Don't worry, Iruka-sensei. He wasn't a real friend, so don't feel bad about it." Hinata soothed, before following Naruto out of the classroom.

Sasuke snapped his fingers before leaving. "He'll stay in the hypnosis until he gets hurt." He said, before dashing after Naruto. Shikamaru released him when all the other three had gone. "Troublesome. They always leave me behind." He sighed, waved to Iruka and disappeared down into his own shadow.

Iruka gaped.

XXX

"That was fun." Hinata smirked, recalling Iruka's confusion. Naruto snorted silently. "You would think so." He smiled. Sasuke tossed a glance at them both.

"Heads up, Hinata, Naruto. _They_ are coming." He sighed miserably, and the two of them looked amused, while Shikamaru merely yawned as he emerged from Naruto's shadow.

"Sasuke!" Sakura and Ino shrieked happily as both of them launched after him. The dark-haired boy deftly avoided them with a look of contempt on his face.

"It is indeed amusing to see you annoyed, Sasuke." Naruto chuckled calmly, and the two Sasuke-fangirls were immediately up and yelling at him.

"Don't say that to Sasuke!"

"Don't talk like that to Sasuke!"

"What's up with the change?"

"What the hell's this, a new prank of yours?"

Shikamaru coughed silently. "How come they say the exact same things with different words?" He discreetly stage-whispered. Hinata leaned towards him. "One-track minds." She replied. Shikamaru snorted.

"Calm down, dearest annoyances." Naruto spoke, a faint trace of power visible in his formerly calm aura. Sakura and Ino both stopped yelling to stare at him.

Sasuke was glaring at the two, while Naruto was merely looking at them with a gaze that made them feel quite small. "We have issues to attend to, you see. I would appreciate it if you would quit hounding Sasuke, it tends to unnerve and annoy him." He chided.

"And I _don__'__t_ like any of you! Get it through your heads!" Sasuke hissed. Both girls looked stricken, and Naruto sighed, shaking his head. "Sasuke, you should be more caring for a woman's heart. Even if not fully mature, nor even at the edge of it, they are women." He gave the now petulant boy a simple look, before smiling gently at the two girls.

"Try to train, and you probably won't die so soon. Bye, dearest annoyances."

With that, Naruto disappeared in a gust of wind. Hinata spared a glance at the two confused girls and sighed. "Be glad he actually talked to you, you pitiful excuses for ninja." She muttered just high enough for them to hear, and disappeared in a poof of smoke.

Shikamaru melted into Hinata's shadow just before she left, and Sasuke gave the two girls a slightly apologizing glare, before disappearing in a poof of smoke he too.

"Uh, what just happened?"

XXX

Onyx eyes stared at greenish yellow. Sasuke stared at a cat.

"I honestly don't get his obsession with cats." Shikamaru muttered, watching the stoic boy stroking the cat with a smile. Hinata giggled. "Well, everyone's obsessed with something, I recall. I, with mechanics, Itachi with pocky, you with laziness and clouds…" She drifted off.

Shikamaru snorted. "I get it, I get it. But still, cats? What I would give to see Naruto say 'Let's go, you cat-obsessed moron.' to Sasuke." He smirked. Hinata blinked in confusion. "Huh?"

XXX

In Kumo at the same time, Yugito was rather annoyed.

"Yo! Yugito! Have ya been talkin' with 9?" Kirabi rapped, badly. The blonde girl sighed. "I met him on a mission outside the village. Cute kid, a little naïve to the world." She lied smoothly, aware that the older jinchuuriki could probably sense the stronger jinchuuriki's presence.

Kirabi nodded thoughtfully. "That ain't no good, it ain't!" He declared. Yugito raised one eyebrow. "What isn't good?" She questioned warily. Kirabi span around and grinned. "Number 9 bein' naïve! He'll end up hurting himself and friends!" He explained.

Yugito nodded. "He'll learn, I'm sure. He seemed like the type to learn quickly anyway." She dismissed, and turned to leap away.

"Ya!" Kirabi grinned and punched his fist in the air. Yugito sighed.

XXX

At the same time in Suna, Gaara and Temari were all but ignoring Kankuro, who had just called Gaara a monster.

"Come on, Temari! He kills people!"

"So what? I do too, does that make me a monster?"

"N-no! But-!"

"At times like these, I wish Lucifer was here." Gaara sighed. Temari nodded resolutely. "He would've kicked your ass, Kankuro. And he would feel happy about it, just as I would! How can you call your own little brother a monster?" She demanded.

Kankuro frowned and seemed to shrink in on himself. Gaara turned his gaze to the older boy. "Is it because of Yashamaru?" He asked tonelessly. Kankuro scowled and looked away.

"I did not wish to kill him. But what would you choose, life or death my a family member's hand?" The redhead wondered calmly. Kankuro winced, and Temari frowned.

Gaara sighed. "I chose life. I am quite sure you would have too. This discussion is over." He closed his eyes and disappeared in a burst of sand. Temari glared fiercely at Kankuro. "You made him sad! Think a bit before you speak!" She hissed, before disappearing in a poof of smoke.

Kankuro glared at the spot she was. "Whatever." He muttered.

XXX

Back in Konoha, Naruto sighed with a small smile.

"I knew this would be troublesome."

XXX

"I am afraid I cannot see what you are despairing over." Naruto drawled, calmly watching the Sandaime's troubled face. "Is it the fact that I hid myself? That I could be an enemy? Or is it the fact that you were powerless to do anything about either?" The blonde gave a slight smile at the old man's glare.

"Stop your playing." The Hokage growled. Naruto did as told, tilting his head. "I am deeply concerned that you did not tell me." The red and white clad man revealed somberly.

Naruto refrained from sneering. "It was quite obvious, as a matter of fact. Me hiding my true self began at five. All those who claim to be observant aren't quite as good as they think." He replied coolly.

Sandaime frowned and was about to say something when the door creaked open and a small boy came running in with a shuriken in his hand… and tripped.

"Ow! …You! You tripped me, didn't you?" The chubby-faced boy pointed at the serene Naruto.

"I most certainly did not. It was your scarf. You should perhaps wrap it up a bit more." He claimed. The door burst open as a man with sunglasses burst in.

"Honored grandson!" He shouted, and then saw Naruto. "You shouldn't be keeping such filthy company." He declared. Naruto merely smiled as he breezed past the man. "You are of course aware that you indicated Sandaime-sama as filthy company as well?" He said, causing the man to stand up straight in shock and begin yelling apologies.

The man failed to notice the little boy running after the unruffled one.

XXX

"Teach me!" Konohamaru demanded. Naruto raised one eyebrow lightly. "Do you not have a teacher?" He questioned rhetorically. Konohamaru scrunched up his nose. "Yeah, but he's just stupid!" He declared.

"And I am not? I have, after all, just become a genin." The blonde mused. Konohamaru shrugged. "You're strong, I know it! So teach me!" He demanded once again.

Naruto sighed. "You would get looked down upon if you were seen in my company, Ko." He deliberately shortened the boy's name, getting a shocked look.

"B-But I don't care! Teach me!"

Waving his long sleeves, Naruto simply looked at the boy for a while. "In that case, what would you want to learn?" He asked calmly. Konohamaru frowned. "I don't know, something that will make me Hokage faster!" He suggested.

"It is not quite that easy. But I can set you on the road to being a ninja, at least. Have you ever heard of tree walking…?"

XXX

Hinata and Shikamaru sat in the shadows of a large tree, watching Naruto supervise Konohamaru's tree walking. "He looks so peaceful…" Hinata remarked with a smile.

Shikamaru nodded thoughtfully. "I'm not surprised. He is skilled with kids, and he likes them. They're not overbearing and haughty like grown-ups with too much knowledge." He mused. Hinata nodded slowly. "Unless they are taught to be so. Hanabi is an example of that." She snorted.

"You should've been too, if your clan had it's will."

"Yeah."

They settled in silence again, and started when Naruto suddenly stood between them. "He is doing well, is he not?" He asked, gesturing to the boy with the strange helmet determinedly running up the tree.

Both of the sins nodded. "You're a good teacher, that helps." Hinata pointed out. Naruto shrugged. His right eye span in his eye socket as he noticed Konohamaru slipping, and then falling on a course to break his neck.

Without a sound, the feminine boy vanished to appear under the younger boy, catching him carefully. "You must be careful, so as not to hurt yourself." The blonde warned. Konohamaru nodded quickly, hugging Naruto. "I wasn't scared though! I just…" He drifted off, and Naruto patted his head.

"I know you weren't. Now rest before you continue. Come meet my siblings, if you wish."

"You have siblings?" Konohamaru asked. Naruto nodded. "We are not related by blood, but they are my siblings all the same." He said softly.

"Subordinates too." Shikamaru's lazy drawl reached them as the lazy boy and the mechanic walked towards them. Konohamaru looked shyly at them, somehow losing his extravagance when around people Naruto referred to as siblings.

"Subordinates? How come?" The boy asked curiously. Hinata smiled. "Naruto is our leader, we are his subordinates. He is our brother, as are we his siblings. It's just how it is." She explained.

"Oh."

"Naruto, can't we go and get some dango? I'm sure Konohamaru will love it!"

"That might be."

XXX

"…Ya know, Itachi, I have a feeling that Naruto's having fun right now. No fair, un." Deidara muttered, careful of any listeners. Itachi nodded slightly. "I suppose. Why?" He asked.

The blonde shrugged. "No reason. How long do you think we have to continue to stay in the Akatsuki, un?" Itachi refrained from rolling his eyes. "You keep asking that question. I have told you, it is quite probable that we must stay here a few more years."

"…Un." Deidara sighed. Itachi snorted.

XXX

Naruto smiled as he looked at Konohamaru greedily devouring dango. "It has turned out fine for now, after all." He murmured silently.

XXX

**So, what'cha think? **

**Please review!**


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